Process and apparatus for forming a wave chip product

ABSTRACT

Thin snack chips having a curved or wave shape are obtained by forming, shaping or curling baked chips into a curved or wave configuration before they become too cold and rigid so as to result in breakage during forming. The essentially flat, malleable baked chips, still hot from baking in an oven may be continuously transported on a conveyer belt into a nip or gap formed between the conveyer belt and a rotating forming roller to curve or curl the malleable baked chips around the roller. The malleable baked chips are subjected to a guided curtain of air to cool and set the chips in a curved or wave configuration and to remove or blow the curved or wave chips off of the rotating forming roller onto the conveyor belt.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the production of thin, baked snackshaving a curved or wave shape. The present invention also relates to anapparatus for producing the snacks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the mass production of snack products, such as potato chips and cornchips, curved configurations are either produced naturally by the fryingprocess or may be imparted mechanically by molding or forming machines.The curved shape is considered a desirable feature both from a visualaspect and from the fact that it facilitates use of the snack with dipsbecause the curved shape makes it easier to collect and maintain the dipon the surface of the snack. Furthermore, the curved shape of the snackresults in a lower bulk density in the packaging, giving the packagedproduct a pleasantly filled appearance. However, frying generallyresults in a high fat content product, which is generally bubbled orblistered and not amenable to stacking or packaging in a straight stack.Also, frying is not compatible with obtaining a snack product which hasa sweet, cookie taste. Moreover, the forming machines employed by potatochip and corn chip manufacturers are generally complex, mechanicallyintensive, and require significant manufacturing line space.

For example, in the manufacture of corn chips, the curled shape presentin corn chips may be obtained by the use of a pressurized extrusionprocess. The curl forms as the product exits the extrusion head. The useof extrusion equipment, however, limits the type of flours which may beused to make up the dough since some, such as wheat flours, tend to burnunder the temperatures found in an extrusion chamber. Furthermore, theextruded product may need to be subjected to deep fat frying

U.S. Pat. No. 3,576,647 to Liepa discloses that in making potato chips,slices of raw potatoes are deep fat fried to a crisp state. The chips soprepared have a random surface curvature which usually takes on asaddle-like appearance. However, frying is the only acceptable means ofproducing the curve shaped product described and the chips are preparednot from doughs but whole slices of potato.

The use of mechanical means to impart a curved shape to flat snackproducts is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 31,819 to Weiss et al. In theWeiss et al process and apparatus fabricated potato chips are preparedfrom a flat dough ribbon, in which if a curved shape is desired, theflat dough ribbon is molded between concave and convex surfaces duringthe frying step to produce the desired shape.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,576,647 and 3,626,466 each to Liepa teach a method forpreparing a saddle shaped fabricated potato chip by sheeting and cuttingthe desired shape from the dough sheet. Each dough piece is then heldbetween two similarly configured molds as the dough piece is conveyedthrough the deep fat frying step to ensure that the piece maintains itsdeformed shape.

U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0132029 A1 to Teras et al discloses theproduction of an ergonomic snack piece having a dip containmentconfiguration by frying or baking dough which is constrained betweenbelts or molds.

U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0034571 A1 to Zimmerman et al disclosesthe production of a tortilla chip having a dip containment configurationby frying or baking dough which is constrained between belts or molds.

As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,698 to Sprecher et al, one means forimparting a concave shape to an oven baked cracker-type snack product isto replace the normal flat band of a commercial oven with a speciallyfabricated band that has spaced ridges affixed to the band such thatwhen the dough sheet is layed onto it, gravity pulls the unsupportedmiddle of the dough sheet down resulting in a desirable concave shape.This is not a commercially desirable method since it requires aspecially fabricated oven band which would have to be replaced with aflat band whenever the manufacturer wished to make other productswithout a curved shape. The manufacturer would end up with one ovendedicated to production of concave shape baked products, thus limitingproduction flexibility. Furthermore the concave shape is limited to onefixed angle since the ridges are not adjustable.

Generally it is also known in the art that a slight curvature can beimparted to a dough sheet being subjected to oven baking by varying theheat applied in the top and bottom zone of the band oven. For example,in manufacturing a thin wheat type cracker by applying greater heat tothe dough sheet in the top zone and less heat in the bottom zone, themiddle portion of the product will lift off the band to give a veryslight convex shape. However the curvature which may be imparted to theproduct using this technique is slight, certainly less than 10 degrees.Furthermore the product produced tends to be non-uniform since it isdifficult to control the amount of curvature which is imparted to theproduct using this baking method.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,919 discloses the production of a concave shapedbaked snack product which is coated with a fused flavored particulatetopping and the product can be made on existing, in-place commercialmanufacturing equipment. The topping composition is made from afilm-forming food starch and flavors and is applied to a sheeted doughprior to baking. During baking the topping composition becomes fused tothe expanding dough base causing the edges of the dough sheet to lift upresulting in a desirable concave shaped coated snack product.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,425 B1 to Nash et al discloses the use of an airknife to cool and dry extrudate strands before cutting. The productproduced by Nash et al may be in the shape of a tube.

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for forming baked,wheat-based wave chip products, such as cookie wave chips, without theuse of complex, mechanically intensive forming machines. High linethroughputs may be maintained without the need for diverting longmanufacturing line space to chip curving operations, and without theneed for curling compositions which are topically applied before baking.In accordance with the present invention, a curved or wave configurationmay be imparted to baked products after baking. Various degrees ofcurvature may be achieved without the need for extensive modificationsof existing manufacturing equipment which is employed to produce flatchip products, crackers, or cookies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a post-bake process and apparatus forcontinuously forming a wave chip while maintaining mass productionproduct throughputs. A wave chip forming device, located after baking,includes a major roller, or forming roller, and preferably two otherminor rollers, all of which may be jacketed to maintain a constanttemperature. The rollers are rotatably attached to a conveyor belt sothat the conveyor belt threads through the rollers with apre-established adjustable gap or nip to allow the baked chip to travelthrough to form the wave.

Both the upstream and downstream angles formed by the belt with theforming roller may be adjusted by relative movement of the formingroller and the optional upstream and downstream minor rollers. Theangles may be adjusted so as to permit the chips to fully curve aroundand adhere to the forming roller and to then be blown off the roller andback onto the downstream portion of the belt in less than one revolutionof the roller.

The system also includes an air nozzle or air knife which is attached toan airflow guide or plate. The air knife and airflow guide are attachedto a housing at a precise angle to the conveyor belt. A regulated,specific airflow is provided by the air knife and airflow guide thatfacilitates both: 1) crucial cooling during the wave forming process,and 2) removal and transferring of the wave chip from the forming rollin a uniform orientation in preparation for other post-bake operationsand packaging.

The substantially flat, thin, baked chips leaving the oven are hot andmalleable. In accordance with the present invention, the malleable chipsare formed into a curved or wave configuration before they become toocold so as to become rigid which would result in breakage duringforming. In embodiments of the present invention, the malleable chipsare transported and formed into a wave within a very short time period,for example within less than about 20 seconds, after the product leavesthe oven band located over the oven exit drum.

Generally, the malleable baked chips entering the nip or gap of thepost-bake forming device should have a temperature of about 170° F. toabout 190° F. A guided curtain of air cools the malleable baked chipswhich are adhered to the forming roller at least about 10° F.,preferably about 15° F. to about 25° F. to obtain curved or wave chipswhich at least substantially retain the same curved or waveconfiguration after removal from the forming roller.

In preferred embodiments of the invention, to increase the time duringwhich the baked chip pieces remain sufficiently malleable for post-bakeforming into curved or wave chip products, a pregelatinized waxy maizestarch is included in the dough composition. Also, in preferredembodiments of the present invention for producing cookie wave chips,inclusion of a substantial amount of sugar in the dough, with no orsubstantially no potato ingredients, provides a cookie taste or flavorrather than a potato chip flavor. It is also believed that the sugarhelps to maintain malleability of the baked chips after baking byholding water.

The wave chips may have a plurality of particulate ingredients, such asflavor chips, which extend all the way through the thickness of thechips and are visually apparent at the opposing concave and convexsurfaces. The wave forming process and apparatus of the presentinvention does not result in substantial, or any smearing of theparticulate ingredients, such as chocolate chips into the baked doughportion of the chip product.

Once the wave product is formed and removed from the forming roller bythe air curtain, the product can optionally be drizzled with a coatingor icing using a perforated decorative stringer. The curled chip productmay then be cooled in a traditional cooling tunnel. After exiting thecooling tunnel the at least substantially uniformly curved and sizedproduct may be stacked into an at least substantially vertically alignedstack and sent to packaging.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is further illustrated by the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a wave chip snack havingparticulates which may be produced in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the snack chip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the snack chip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the snack chip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the snack chip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of the snack chip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a right side elevational view of the snack chip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a left side elevational view of the snack chip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a schematic side view of apparatus for producing curved orwave chips in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for making curvedor wave snack chips, such as cookie chips, by forming or creating thecurved configuration after baking. The curved or wave snack chips of thepresent invention have a concave surface and an opposing convex surface.Each of the concave and convex surfaces are substantially smooth and atleast substantially free of surface bubbles or blisters. The curved orwave chips of the present invention have a crispy, crunchy texture, andmay have an at least substantially uniform thickness of less than about0.10 inches, preferably from 0.07 inch to about 0.09 inch. The degree ofcurvature may be about 10° to about 45°, generally about 15° to about25°. The curvature and shape of each chip may be at least substantiallyuniform and the chips may be stacked, one upon another, in an at leastsubstantially straight column.

In preferred embodiments as shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 8, the wavechips 1 have a plurality of particulate ingredients 5, such as flavorchips, which extend all the way through the thickness 10 of the chipsand are visually apparent at the opposing concave 15 and convex 20surfaces. The wave forming process and apparatus of the presentinvention does not result in substantial, or any smearing of theparticulate ingredients, such as chocolate chips into the baked doughportion of the chip product. The convex surface of the chips may havesubtle band markings 23 from being baked in a band oven on a wire meshband. In preferred embodiments of the invention, thin, curved or wavecookie chips having a sweet taste and cookie flavor are produced with achip-like crispy texture. The baked wave chips of the present inventionmay have a coating or topping, preferably one or more stripes of icing,on its convex or concave surface.

The dough pieces prior to baking may have a thickness of less than about0.04 inch, for example from about 0.025 inch to about 0.035 inch. Thedough pieces expand or leaven upon baking and may have a baked thicknessof less than about 0.10 inch, for example, from about 0.07 inch to about0.09 inch. The thickness of the freshly baked malleable chips is notsubstantially, if at all changed by the forming process of the presentinvention. Thus, the malleable baked chips which are subjected to theforming process of the present invention may have a thickness of lessthan about 0.10 inch, preferably about 0.07 inch to about 0.09 inch.Also, they are substantially flat with substantially no surface bubblesor blisters which can result in crumbling and jamming in the post-bakeforming apparatus. The malleable baked chips may have a round, oval,square, rectangular, or irregular shape.

Curved or wave chips may be produced in accordance with the presentinvention by baking pieces of dough to obtain at least substantiallyflat, malleable, baked chips. As shown in FIG. 9, the malleable chips 25are transported on a conveyer belt 30 to a rotating forming roller 35 tocurve or curl the malleable baked chips around the roller. In accordancewith the present invention, baked snacks are shaped into a desired,uniform curve or wave shape before they have had sufficient time to cooland set or harden into a flat shape and crispy texture. The malleablebaked chips 25 are conveyed, while at least substantially flat againstthe conveyer belt 30 into a nip or gap 40 formed between the conveyerbelt 30 and the rotating forming roller 35. Pressure from the beltcauses the chip to adhere to the rotating roller starting at its leadingedge and continuing to its trailing edge as it passes through the nip orgap. The chips pass through the nip or gap with no, or substantially no,change in thickness of the pieces.

While adhering to the forming roller 35, the baked chips are cooled uponemerging from the gap by a curtain or sheet of air 45. The chips mayalso be cooled by a cooling medium which circulates within the rotatingforming roller. The curtain of air 45, in addition to cooling the chipsand setting the chips in a curved or wave configuration, also removesthem or blows them off of the rotating forming roller.

Although post-bake heating may be employed to extend the period of timeduring which the chips are malleable, the post-bake heating wouldinvolve extra equipment and cost, consume extra line space, and mayburn, discolor, or dry out the malleable chips. In preferredembodiments, the malleable, baked chips are transferred to the post-bakeforming device within a sufficiently short time so as to assure that thebaked chips are malleable so as to conform to the shape of the formingroller without the need for any post-bake heating. In preferredembodiments of the invention, the baked pieces are transported from theoven to the nip or gap 40 of the forming device within about 20 seconds,preferably in about 8 to 15 seconds.

Generally, the malleable baked chips 25 entering the nip or gap 40 ofthe post-bake forming device should have a temperature of about 170° F.to about 190° F. If the temperature is too low the baked chips will notbe pliable enough to conform to the shape of the forming roller 35.Although higher temperatures may be employed, if the baked chips are toohot, they may pass through the gap and curl around the forming rollerbut they may tend to uncurl if they are not sufficiently cooled uponbeing blown off or upon being removed from the roller.

In preferred embodiments, the curtain of air 45 cools the malleablebaked chips at least about 10° F., preferably about 15° F. to about 25°F. to obtain curved or wave chips 47 which at least substantially retainthe same configuration after removal from the forming roller 35.

The air pressure employed in the air curtain generating device or airknife 50 should be sufficiently high so as to remove or blow off theadhered, curved wave chips 47 from the rotating roller 35. The pressuremay be adjusted so as to remove the chips so that their concave surfacerests upon the flat, downstream portion of the conveyer belt. In otherembodiments, the pressure may be adjusted so that the removed chips flipso that their convex surface faces upwardly. However, the pressureshould not be so high so as to blow the chips excessively downstream oroff of the conveyer or otherwise disrupt the attainment of at leastsubstantially uniformly straight rows of wave chips. Generally, the airpressure provided by the air knife may be less than about 5 psig,preferably about 1 psig to about 2 psig.

The air guide 55 is angled and configured so that the air curtain 45 atleast substantially travels against the guide and is directed againstthe roller-adhered chips so as to cool them and lift them from theforming roller 35. The angle of the air guide 55 relative to the planeof the conveyer belt may be adjusted to provide a direction to the aircurtain towards the adhered chips so that they are removed in less thanone complete revolution of the chips about the roller. The provision ofa recessed portion 60 of the air guide 55 at its bottom end helps toprevent the air curtain 45 from being directed too far downstream andhelps to provide lift, like an airplane wing, for removal of the chips.

In preferred embodiments the chips are arranged in straight rows acrossthe conveyer belt 30 as shown in FIG. 10, and enter the gap 40 insubstantially the same straight row configuration. Also, preferably thecurved or wave pieces 47 are removed from the forming roller 35 in astraight line by the air curtain 45 and are deposited in a substantiallystraight line on the downstream portion 32 of the conveyer belt 30. Useof an air knife 50 which provides substantially even pressure along itslength helps to assure that the curved pieces are removed and depositedin a substantially straight line. In embodiments of the invention,conventional row straightening devices may be employed to align the rowsof chips for subsequent stacking and packaging and application oftoppings. Prior to stacking and packaging, the wave chips may be cooledin a cooling tunnel in conventional manner to about room temperature.

In embodiments of the present invention, a topping ingredient or icingmay be applied as a coating or one or more stripes to either the convexor concave surfaces of the chips as they are transported on the conveyorbelt downstream of the forming device. The coating may cover a part ofthe surface or at least substantially all of the surface. In preferredembodiments, one or more stripes, such as a wavy strip may be applied tothe chip surface.

In embodiments of the present invention a conventional, continuous,multi-zoned band oven may be employed to bake dough pieces into baked,malleable chips which are generally flat. The flat, baked malleablechips 25 may be made into curved or wave chips 47 which are at leastsubstantially uniformly curved using the chip curving apparatus of thepresent invention.

The post-bake forming device, or chip curving apparatus 2, of thepresent invention for making curved or wave chips 47 includes a conveyerbelt 30 for transporting baked chips 25 from an oven, and a rotatableforming roller 35 for forming the baked chips into a curve or wave. Theroller forms a nip or gap 40 with a curved, angled, or recessed portion33 of the conveyer belt 30. The baked, at least substantially flat chips35 are conveyed by the conveyer belt 30 into the curved portion 33 ofthe belt 30 and through the nip or gap 40 between the belt 30 and theforming roller 35. Upon passing through the nip or gap 40, the malleablebaked chips 25 adhere to the forming roller 35 and curl around it toform a curved or wave chip 47 having a curvature which is the same orsubstantially the same as that of the forming roller. The diameter ofthe forming roller 35 employed depends upon the degree of curvaturedesired and the longest dimension of the malleable baked chip in thedirection of travel of the belt. Generally, the diameter of the formingroller may be sufficiently large so that the chip may be adheredcompletely along its length to the roller while permitting its removalin less than a complete revolution and without interfering with entryand exit of chips within the curved portion 33 of the belt 30. Inembodiments of the invention, the diameter of the forming roller may befrom about 90% to about 130%, preferably from 100% to about 120%, forexample about 110%, the maximum length of the malleable baked chipbefore it enters the curved portion of the belt.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a device 50 which provides a curtain of coolair 45 is mounted on a housing 65 above the forming roller 35. Thedevice may be jacketed for cooling air and maintaining a constant airtemperature. The air may be supplied to the device 50 through a hose 68from a conventional purified air source 70. The curtain of air 45 liftsoff or removes the curved or wave chips 47 from the rotatable roller 35by a blowing action of the air curtain 45. The blowing action helps todeposit the removed curved or wave chips 47 onto a downstream, at leastsubstantially flat section 32 of the conveyer belt 30.

The device 50 which provides a curtain of air 45 may be a linear airnozzle or “air knife”. The air knife 50 is mounted above the rotatableforming roller 35 and malleable chips 25 in an angled position upstreamof the forming roller to direct a flow of air from a compressed airsupply line at an angle towards the malleable baked chips being formedbelow on the roller 35. The rotatable forming roller 35 and the linearair nozzle or air knife 50 are oriented at least substantially parallelto each other and normal to the direction of travel of the conveyor belt30 and chips. The air nozzle 50 receives air from an air supply line 68that is connected to a compressed air source 70. The air may be purifiedfor use in food manufacture. The air nozzle may be configured as a roundcylindrical tube with an elongate, narrow orifice to form asubstantially planar airflow across at least substantially the entirewidth of the forming roller and row of chips. The malleable baked chipsare generally cooled by ambient air between the oven and the formingroller. Then, as they are formed on the forming roller the malleablechips are cooled by ambient air and by additional cooling with air-flowfrom the air knife. Linear air nozzles or air knives which may beemployed in the present invention are commercially available, such as aLinear Air and Blow-Off Nozzle, made by Exair Corporation of Cincinnati,Ohio.

The device 50 for providing the curtain of air 45 may be mounted on anair flow guide 55, which in turn is mounted upon the housing 65 as shownin FIG. 9. The air flow guide 55 may be in the form of a flat platehaving an upstream or upper portion and a downstream or bottom endportion. The air curtain device or air knife 50 may be mounted upon theair flow guide 55 at it upper portion. The downstream or bottom portionof the air flow guide 55 may have a recessed portion 60 relative to theupstream or upper portion so as to provide a lifting effect upon thebaked chips 47 which are adhered or curled around the forming roller 35.

The bottom edge 58 of the air flow guide 55 may be juxtaposed orterminated near the surface of the rotating forming roller 35 so as toscrape off any adhered baked chips from the roller which are not removedby the air flow 45. The air flow guide 55 therefore serves to preventany excessively adhered baked chips from making a complete revolutionaround the roller 35 and into the upstream area of the curved beltportion.

The air flow guide 55, and the air knife 50 attached thereto, may bemounted at an angle of about 50° to about 60° relative to the flatportions or longitudinal plane of the belt, so as to direct a curtain ofair 45 at about that same mounting angle upon the rotating malleablechips. The air flow guide 55, the air knife 50 or other air curtainproducing device, and the rotatable forming roller 35 may extend acrossthe width of the conveyer belt 30, as shown in FIG. 10. The mountingangle may be adjustable by movement of the airflow guide usingconventional angle adjustment mechanisms, such as a slot and boltarrangement (not shown), attached to the housing 65.

The curved, angled, or indented portion 33 of the conveyer belt 30 maybe formed by providing extra slack in the belt within an area which issubstantially unsupported from the underside of the belt. For example,conventional nosers may be provided upstream and downstream of theforming roller with little if any underlying belt supporting structurebetween the two nosers. The rotatable forming roller may be adjustablein a vertical direction for setting the nip or gap between thebottom-most surface of the roller and the bottom-most, upper, concavesurface of the belt. The rotatable forming roller may be driven by aconventional motor and cam arrangement. Conventional roller heightadjustment mechanisms may also be employed. The gap or nip between theforming roller and the bottom-most top surface of the belt should be setto permit the baked chip to pass through and adhere to the formingroller without being crushed or substantially compressed.

As shown in FIG. 9, the conveyer belt 30 forms an upstream angle 75 withthe rotatable roller 35 and a downstream angle 80 with the rotatableroller 35. The angles may be measured between the horizontal planepassing through the nip or lowest point in the belt, and the plane ofthe angled portion of the belt. Both the upstream and downstream anglesshould be sufficiently large so as to permit the chips to fully curvearound and adhere to the forming roller and to then be blown off theroller and back onto the downstream portion 32 of the belt 30 in lessthan one revolution of the roller 35. The upstream angle 75 should besufficiently large to permit the baked chips 25 to lie flat against thebelt before they are adhered to the forming roller 35 and before passingthrough the nip or gap 40. The downstream angle 80 should besufficiently large to permit the adhered chips 47 to be removed from theforming roller 35 by the air curtain 45. However, the angle 80 shouldnot be so large as to result in the blown off chips falling into andremaining in the curved portion of the belt downstream of the formingroller so as to impede downstream uniform flow of the chips. Thedownstream angle should also be set so that the chips fall on or aredeposited upon a substantially flat, horizontal portion 32 of the belt30 without substantially changing the curved or wave configurationimparted to the chips by the forming roller.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, an upstream roller 85and a downstream roller 90, relative to the fowling roller 35, areprovided as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10. The conveyer belt 30 may passover the upstream roller 85 and over the downstream roller 90 but underthe forming roller 35. All three rollers, the forming roller, theupstream roller, and the downstream roller may be jacketed and suppliedwith a cooling medium for maintaining a constant air flow temperature.

The upstream roller 85 and the downstream roller 90 may each beadjustable in the horizontal direction, or in a direction at leastsubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis or surface of the flatportion of the conveyer belt. In addition, the upstream and thedownstream rollers may be adjustable in the vertical direction relativeto the flat portions 32, 34 of the conveyer belt 30. The upstream angle75 and the downstream angle 80 may be adjusted by movement of theupstream and downstream rotatable rollers 85, 90, respectively. Forexample, to increase the upstream angle 75, the upstream roller 85 maybe moved further upstream away from the rotating forming roller 35. Todecrease the upstream angle 75, the upstream roller 85 may be movedcloser towards the forming roller 35. The downstream angle 80 may beincreased by moving the downstream roller 90 further away or furtherdownstream from the forming roller 35. A decrease in the downstreamangle 80 may be achieved by moving the downstream roller 90 furtherupstream, or closer to the forming roller 35. The downstream and theupstream angles may be the same or different. In embodiments of theinvention, the upstream angle 75 may range from about 15° to about 60°,depending upon the size, length, or diameter of the baked chip. Forexample, as the length or diameter of the chips in the direction oftravel of the belt increases, the angle may decrease so as to permitmore time for the chip to lie flat on the belt as it enters and travelswithin the curved or angled area of the belt. In embodiments of theinvention, the downstream angle 80 may also range from about 15° toabout 60° depending upon the size and degree of curvature of the curvedor wave chips 47. Generally, as the dimension of the chip increases inthe direction of flow, smaller angles may be needed so as to decreasethe distance of belt-to-chip-to-roller contact and thereby increase thetime or distance available for separation of the adhered chip from theforming roller 35.

A topping applicator 95 may be mounted downstream of the forming roller35 and above the top surface of the conveyer belt 30. The toppingapplicator 95 may be employed for applying a coating, deposit, or one ormore streams 98 of toppings to a surface of each curved or wave chip 47as they are transported on the conveyer belt. The topping applicator 95may be conventional equipment such as those used to apply straight,curved, wavy, wiggly, or sinusoidal stripes to each piece. Exemplary ofconventional equipment which may be employed to apply a plurality ofwiggly stripes to each piece is a perforated decorative stringer, suchas a Woody Stringer, manufactured by Woody Associates, Inc, York, Pa.

The curved or wave chips 47 may be transported by the conveyor belt to aconventional cooling tunnel for further cooling. After cooling, thechips may be sent to a stacking device and then packaged in a cannisteror they may be packaged in bags using conventional packaging equipment.

The baked snacks of the present invention include reduced fat, low-fat,and no-fat baked products, as well as full-fatted. They may have thetaste or flavor of a wheat-based cookie, but the appearance and crispy,crunchy texture of a chip. The thin, malleable, wheat-based baked chipswhich may be subjected to the post-bake forming method and apparatus ofthe present invention may be produced using known cookie, cracker, orfabricated baked chip manufacturing equipment and methods. For example,in embodiments of the present invention, dough pieces may be obtained bysheeting a dough and forming it into thin dough pieces as disclosed incopending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/371,547, filed Feb. 21, 2003 for“PRODUCTION OF THIN, IRREGULAR CHIPS WITH SCALLOPED EDGES AND SURFACEBUBBLES” in the names of Mihalos et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,747,092 and5,980,967 each to Carey et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,491,959 to Chiang etal., the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference intheir entireties. In the present invention, dough sheet lamination isgenerally not needed because excessive bubbling and blister formationwhich may interfere with the post-bake forming operation is not desired.However, lamination may optionally be employed to add robustness. Inother embodiments of the present invention, dough sheeting may not beneeded. The dough pieces may be produced using conventional rotarymolding or wire cutting techniques which may result in less scrap orrecycle.

In embodiments of the invention, the dough pieces may be made from asheeted dough, by feeding dough from a hopper into a conventional fourroll dough sheeter to obtain a dough sheet. The dough sheet may beconveyed by a conveyor to the nip of a pair of counterrotating auxiliarygauge rolls and compressed into a sheet. The compressed sheet may betransported by a second conveyer to the nip of a second pair ofcounterrotating auxiliary gauge rolls and further compressed into athinner sheet. The thinner compressed sheet may be transported by athird conveyer to the nip of a pair of jacketed counterrotating finalgauge rolls and further compressed into a thin sheet. The final gaugerolls may be equipped with a conventional temperature monitoring andcontrolling device for control of the gauge roll surface temperatures.The thin sheet may be transferred to a fourth, downstream conveyer forcutting into individual pieces by a rotary cutter.

To increase the time during which the baked chip pieces remainsufficiently malleable for post-bake forming into curved or wave chipproducts, a pregelatinized waxy maize starch is included in the doughcomposition. It is believed that the film-forming pregelatinized starchforms a thin film which helps to trap and retain moisture formalleability, particularly when the dough is baked at low temperatures.Also, inclusion of a substantial amount of sugar in the dough, with noor substantially no potato ingredients, provides a cookie taste orflavor rather than a potato chip flavor. It is also believed that thesugar helps to maintain malleability of the baked chips after baking byholding water. Upon cooling during the forming step, it is believed thatthe readily crystallizable sugars, such as sucrose crystallize and helpto set the chips in a curved or wave configuration imparted by theforming roller. The crystallization resistant sugars may also contributeto the attainment of a crispy, crunchy texture.

Pregelatinized waxy starches or pregelatinized high amylopectin-contentstarches which may be used in the present invention includepregelatinized waxy maize starch, pregelatinized waxy rice starch, andmixtures thereof. In embodiments of the invention, a pregelatinized waxystarch for achieving cohesiveness, dough extensibility, doughmachinability, and extended time of malleability in the baked chips is amodified waxy maize starch such as Modified Corn Starch X-Pand'R F4-612produced by A. E. Staley Manufacturing Company. The preferredpregelatinized waxy maize starch is not chemically modified nor acidhydrolyzed. The pregelatinized waxy starch preferably has a moisturecontent of less than or equal to about 6% by weight and a pH of about 5to about 6. The Brabender neutral viscosity of the pregelatinized waxystarch may be at least 680 BU at 25° C., with the time required to reachpeak viscosity at 25° C. being a maximum of 20 minutes. The particlesize distribution of the pregelatinized waxy starch may be less than orequal to about 20% by weight retained on a 50-mesh screen and less thanor equal to about 30% passing through a 200-mesh screen. If the particlesize is too small, the pregelatinized starch tends to hydratepredominately on the surface.

The amount of the pregelatinized waxy starch which may be used inembodiments of the present invention range from about 1.5% by weight toabout 10% by weight, preferably from about 2.5% by weight to about 6% byweight based upon the weight of the wheat flour.

Process-compatible ingredients, which can be used to modify the textureof the products produced in the present invention, include sugars suchas sucrose, fructose, lactose, dextrose, galactose, maltodextrins, cornsyrup solids, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, protein hydrolysates,glucose syrup, mixtures thereof, and the like. Reducing sugars, such asfructose, maltose, lactose, and dextrose, or mixtures of reducing sugarsmay be used to promote browning. Fructose is the preferred reducingsugar, because of its ready availability and its generally more enhancedbrowning and flavor-development effects. Exemplary sources of fructoseinclude invert syrup, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, brown sugar,maple syrup, mixtures thereof, and the like.

The texturizing ingredient, such as sugar, may be admixed with the otheringredients in either solid or crystalline form, such as crystalline orgranulated sucrose, granulated brown sugar, or crystalline fructose, orin liquid form, such as sucrose syrup or high fructose corn syrup. Inembodiments of the invention, humectant sugars, such as high fructosecorn syrup, maltose, sorbose, galactose, corn syrup, glucose syrup,invert syrup, honey, molasses, fructose, lactose, dextrose, and mixturesthereof, may be used to reduce hardness of the baked product and provideflavor and color.

In addition to the humectant sugars, other humectants, or aqueoussolutions of humectants which are not sugars or possess a low degree ofsweetness relative to sucrose, may also be employed in the dough. Forexample, glycerol, sugar alcohols such as mannitol, maltitol, xylitoland sorbitol, and other polyols, may be used as humectants. Additionalexamples of humectant polyols (i.e. polyhydric alcohols) includeglycols, for example, propylene glycol and hydrogenated glucose syrups.Other humectants include sugar esters, dextrins, hydrogenated starchhydrolysates, and other starch hydrolysis products.

In embodiments of the present invention, the total sugar solids content,or the humectant texturizing-ingredient content, of the doughs may rangefrom zero up to about 100% by weight, based upon the weight of the wheatflour, with savory snacks generally possessing only up to about 25% byweight of total sugar solids. For the production of sweet chips, such ascookie chips, the total sugar solids content is generally greater than25% by weight, preferably greater than about 28% by weight, mostpreferably from about 30% by weight to about 80% by weight, for examplefrom about 33% by weight to about 70% by weight, based upon the weightof the wheat flour. The preferred sugars for inclusion in the doughs ofthe present invention are crystalline sucrose and high fructose cornsyrup. For example, in embodiments of the invention crystalline sucrosemay be included in the dough in amounts ranging from about 25% by weightto about 55% by weight, and the sugar solids content from high fructosecorn syrup may be from about 8% by weight to about 15% by weight, basedupon the weight of the wheat flour.

The wheat flour used in the wheat-based snacks of the present inventionmay be a flour of common wheat or triticum aestivum, and/or a flour ofclub wheat. Durham wheat generally provides a texture which is hardrather than crisp. In embodiments of the invention, it may be includedin amounts which do not adversely affect texture, for example, up toabout 10% by weight of the wheat flour. Common wheat flour is preferred.The wheat flour may be from winter wheat or spring wheat, either ofwhich may be soft or hard. The soft or hard wheats may be either red orwhite. Mixtures of different wheat flours may be used in the presentinvention. The wheat flours used in the present invention are preferablynot extensively bleached, because extensively bleached flours tend toproduce a cake-like, non-crispy texture. The protein or gluten contentof the wheat flour should be sufficient to provide a sheetable dough attemperatures of from about room temperature to about 125° F.Conventional wheat flours used for cookie and cracker production may beused in the present invention. Exemplary gluten contents of the wheatflours may range from about 7% to about 11% by weight of the flour.

The wheat flour may be used in an amount of from about 30% by weight toabout 80% by weight, preferably from about 40% by weight to about 65% byweight, based upon the weight of the dough. Other flours, such as riceflour, corn flour, oat flour, and the like, tend to result in a mealy,styrofoam-like, less crunchy texture. They may be used in amounts whichdo not adversely affect flavor and a crispy, crunchy texture.

In embodiments of the invention potato starch ingredients may optionallybe used in amounts which do not adversely affect flavor to control acrispy, crunchy texture and to control or reduce bubbling or blistering.In embodiments of the invention a pregelatinized potato starch may beused in an amount of from about 1.5% by weight to about 20% by weight,for example from about 3% by weight to about 13% by weight, based uponthe weight of the wheat flour. An example of a pregelatinized potatostarch which may be employed is cross-linked, non-esterified di-starchphosphate of potato starch, which is cold-water-swelling, such asPaselli P, manufactured by Avebe America, Inc.

An optional modified potato starch may be employed in an amount of up toabout 20% by weight, for example from about 5% by weight to about 18% byweight, based upon the weight of the wheat flour. An example of amodified potato starch which may be employed is an esterified potatostarch such as Perfectamyl AC, manufactured by Avebe America, Inc. It isa raw, acetylated, but not crosslinked, potato starch.

In embodiments of the invention a pregelatinized potato starch which isunmodified, and not cross-linked, such as Paselli WA-4 may be utilized.In such embodiments, an optional modified potato starch, such asPerfectamyl AC is generally not needed and the total amount of potatostarches may be reduced. For example, in embodiments where anunmodified, non-cross-linked pregelatinized potato starch such asPaselli WA-4 is employed, exemplary total amounts of potato starches maybe from about 2 wt. % to about 7 wt. %, based upon the weight of thewheat flour. The use of the unmodified, non-cross-linked potato starchrequires less water to be used in making the dough.

Unless otherwise indicated, all weight percentages are based upon thetotal weight of all ingredients forming the doughs or formulations ofthe present invention, except for inclusions such as flavor chips, nuts,raisins, and the like. Thus, “the weight of the dough” does not includethe weight of inclusions.

The moisture contents of the doughs of the present invention should besufficient to provide the desired consistency to enable proper forming,machining, and cutting of the dough. The total moisture content of thedoughs of the present invention will include any water included as aseparately added ingredient, as well as the moisture provided by flour(which usually contains about 12% to about 14% by weight moisture), andthe moisture content of other dough additives included in theformulation, such as high fructose corn syrup, invert syrups, or otherliquid humectants.

Taking into account all sources of moisture in the dough or batter,including separately added water, the total moisture content of thedoughs or batters of the present invention is generally less than about50% by weight, preferably less than about 35% by weight, based upon theweight of the dough or batter. Generally, lower dough moisture contentsresults in lower heating requirements, lower starch gelatinization, andless blistering and bubbling. In producing curved or wave cookie chipsin accordance with the present invention, the doughs may generally havea moisture content of less than about 30% by weight, generally fromabout 10% by weight to about 20% by weight, based upon the weight of thedough.

Oleaginous compositions which may be used to obtain the doughs and bakedgoods of the present invention may include any known shortening or fatblends or compositions useful for baking applications, and they mayinclude conventional food-grade emulsifiers. Vegetable oils, lard,marine oils, and mixtures thereof, which are fractionated, partiallyhydrogenated, and/or interesterified, are exemplary of the shorteningsor fats which may be used in the present invention. Edible reduced- orlow-calorie, partially digestible or non-digestible fats,fat-substitutes, or synthetic fats, such as sucrose polyesters ortriacyl glycerides, which are process-compatible may also be used.Mixtures of hard and soft fats or shortenings and oils may be used toachieve a desired consistency or melting profile in the oleaginouscomposition. Exemplary of the edible triglycerides which can be used toobtain the oleaginous compositions for use in the present inventioninclude naturally occurring triglycerides derived from vegetable sourcessuch as soybean oil, palm kernel oil, palm oil, rapeseed oil, saffloweroil, sesame oil, sunflower seed oil, and mixtures thereof. Marine andanimal oils such as sardine oil, menhaden oil, babassu oil, lard, andtallow may also be used. Synthetic triglycerides, as well as naturaltriglycerides of fatty acids, may also be used to obtain the oleaginouscomposition. The fatty acids may have a chain length of from 8 to 24carbon atoms. Solid or semi-solid shortenings or fats at roomtemperatures of, for example, from about 75° F. to about 95° F. may beused. Preferred oleaginous compositions for use in the present inventioncomprise soybean oil.

In producing curved or wave cookie chips in accordance with the presentinvention, the doughs may generally have a fat or oil content of lessthan about 30% by weight, generally from about 10% by weight to about20% by weight, based upon the weight of the flour.

Baked goods which may be produced in accordance with the presentinvention include reduced calorie baked goods which are also reducedfat, low fat or no-fat products. As used herein, a reduced-fat foodproduct is a product having its fat content reduced by at least 25% byweight from the standard or conventional product. A low-fat product hasa fat content of less than or equal to three grams of fat per referenceamount or label serving. However, for small reference amounts (that is,reference amounts of 30 grams or less or two tablespoons or less), alow-fat product has a fat content of less than or equal to 3 grams per50 grams of product. A no-fat or zero-fat product has a fat content ofless than 0.5 grams of fat per reference amount and per label serving.For accompaniment crackers, such as a saltine cracker, the referenceamount is 15 grams. For crackers used as snacks and for cookies, thereference amount is 30 grams. Thus, the fat content of a low-fat crackeror cookie would therefore be less than or equal to 3 grams of fat per 50grams or less than or equal to about 6% fat, based upon the total weightof the final product. A no-fat accompaniment cracker would have a fatcontent of less than 0.5 grams per 15 grams or less than about 3.33%,based upon the weight of the final product.

In addition to the foregoing, the doughs employed in the invention mayinclude other additives conventionally employed in crackers and cookies.Such additives may include, for example, milk by-products, enzymemodified milk powder, whey, edible fiber such as oat fiber, corn bran,wheat bran, oat bran, rice bran, egg or egg by-products, cocoa, peanutbutter, vanilla or other flavorings, flour substitutes or bulkingagents, such as polydextrose, hollocellulose, microcrystallinecellulose, mixtures thereof, and the like, as well as inclusions orparticulates such as nuts, raisins, coconut, flavored chips such aschocolate chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, peanutbutter chips, caramel chips, and the like in conventional amounts. Inembodiments of the invention, these additives, such as chocolate chipsor other flavor chips, may be employed in amounts up to about 20% byweight, based upon the weight of the dough.

A source of protein, which is suitable for inclusion in baked goods, maybe included in the doughs of the present invention to promote Maillardbrowning. The source of protein may include non-fat dry milk solids,dried or powdered eggs, mixtures thereof, and the like. The amount ofthe proteinaceous source may, for example, range up to about 5% byweight, based upon the weight of the dough.

The dough compositions of the present invention may contain up to about5% by weight of a leavening system, based upon the weight of the dough.Exemplary of chemical leavening agents or pH-adjusting agents which maybe used include alkaline materials and acidic materials such as sodiumbicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, calcium acid phosphate, sodium acidpyrophosphate, diammonium phosphate, tartaric acid, mixtures thereof,and the like. Yeast may be used alone or in combination with chemicalleavening agents.

The doughs of the present invention may include antimycotics orpreservatives, such as calcium propionate, potassium sorbate, sorbicacid, and the like. Exemplary amounts may range up to about 1% by weightof the dough, to assure microbial shelf-stability.

Emulsifiers may be included in effective, emulsifying amounts in thedoughs of the present invention. Exemplary emulsifiers which may be usedinclude, mono- and di-glycerides, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acidesters, lecithin, stearoyl lactylates, and mixtures thereof. Exemplaryof the polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters which may be used arewater-soluble polysorbates such as polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitanmonostearate (polysorbate 60), polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monooleate(polysorbate 80), and mixtures thereof. Examples of natural lecithinswhich may be used include those derived from plants such as soybean,rapeseed, sunflower, or corn, and those derived from animal sources suchas egg yolk. Soybean-oil-derived lecithins are preferred. Exemplary ofthe stearoyl lactylates are alkali and alkaline-earth stearoyllactylates such as sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium stearoyllactylate, and mixtures thereof. Exemplary amounts of the emulsifierwhich may be used range up to about 3% by weight of the dough.

The doughs which are employed in the present invention may be producedby admixing the dry ingredients such as sucrose, dry flavoring andadditive ingredients, such as whey, cocoa, and salt, with thepregelatinized waxy maize starch to obtain an at least substantiallyhomogeneous dry preblend. The dry preblend may then be creamed with theliquid ingredients such as shortening or fat, high fructose corn syrup,water, and emulsifier to obtain an at least substantially homogeneouscreamed mixture. The creamed mixture may then be admixed with the flour,leavening agents, and optionally any remaining other minor dryingredients such as oat fiber, salt or whey, to obtain an at leastsubstantially homogeneous dough. Inclusions, such as particulateflavoring ingredients, such as chocolate chips may then be admixed withthe dough to obtain an least substantially homogeneous finished dough.

The dough may then be sheeted, wire cut, extruded, coextruded, or rotarymolded using conventional equipment to obtain dough pieces.

While baking times and temperatures will vary for different dough orbatter formulations, oven types, etc., in general, commercial bakingtimes may range from about 2.5 minutes to about 8 minutes, and bakingtemperatures may range from about 250° F. to about 475° F.

The baked products of the present invention may have a relative vaporpressure (“water activity”) of less than about 0.7, preferably less thanabout 0.6, for preservative free microbial shelf-stability. The watercontent of the products is generally less than about 6% by weight, forexample, from about 0.25% by weight to about 4% by weight, based uponthe weight of the baked product, exclusive of inclusions. The flour,pregelatinized waxy maize starch, one or more sugars, and otheringredients are least substantially uniformly distributed throughout thecurved or wave baked products, such as the cookie chips, of the presentinvention.

Conventional toppings and icings or filler creams known in the bakingart may be applied onto the surface of the curved or wave chip productsof the present invention. For example, icings comprising a mixture ofone or more sugars and shortening or fat may be applied as stripes uponthe cookie wave chips of the present invention.

The present invention is further illustrated in the following examples,where all parts, ratios, and percentages are by weight, all temperaturesare in ° F., and all pressures are atmospheric unless otherwise stated:

Examples 1-2

The ingredients and their relative amounts, which may be used to producea cohesive, machinable dough for producing a sweet, wheat-based snackchip having a curved or wave configuration, a crispy, chip-like texture,a chocolate chip cookie flavor, and visually apparent chocolate chipsare:

Example 1 Example 2 Dough Ingredients Parts by weight Parts by weightGROUP 1 Granulated sucrose 25 32.94 Pregelatinized waxy maize starch N(X- 4 3.5 Pand′R) Vanillin 0.03 0.02 GROUP 2 Water (120° F.) 9 8 GROUP 3Lecithin 0 1 Water (cold 45°) 8 8 Soybean Spray Oil 13.25 16.5 Highfructose corn syrup 13 0 Caramel flavor 0.03 0.03 Citric Acid 0 0.23GROUP 4 Medium wheat flour 100 100 Whey 2 4.69 Salt 1.25 1 Sodiumbicarbonate 2 1 Calcium phosphate, monobasic 0.25 0.25 monohydrate GROUP5 Chocolate Chips (15000 count) 27 23 TOTAL 204.81 200.16

In Examples 1 and 2 the dough may be produced by first dry blending theGroup 1 ingredients for about one minute at low speed. The Group 2ingredients may then be added to the Group 1 ingredients with mixing forabout five minutes at high speed, followed by addition of the Group 3ingredients with mixing for an additional five minutes at low speed. TheGroup 4 ingredients may then be added and mixing may be continued fornine minutes at high speed with carbon dioxide being added for about 30to 60 seconds within the nine minute mixing time. The chocolate dropsmay then be added and mixed for three minutes at low speed to obtain asubstantially homogeneous dough.

The dough may be placed onto a lay-time conveyor for about 60 minutesfor hydration purposes. The dough may then be transferred to a sheeterand formed into a sheet. Once the sheet is formed, it may be reduced inthickness in gradual stages by at least two sets of non-taperedreduction rolls. Equipment for the application of conditioned air may beavailable to reduce sticking of the dough sheet to the surface of therolls.

The dough sheet may be passed through the final gauge rolls and sheetedto obtain a dough sheet thickness of about 0.028 inch to about 0.032inch. To allow for proper release of the sheet, the final gauge rollsurface temperature may be maintained and controlled between about87-95° F. by, for example, an internally circulating liquid.

The sheet may then be cut into a plurality of uniformly oval shapedpieces having a length in the machine direction of about 2.3 inches anda width in the transverse direction of about 2.16 inches. The doughpieces, arranged in substantially uniformly straight rows, may then betransferred to a wire mesh oven band using a pan-on conveyor and bakedin a multi-zone, continuous band oven. The product may be baked forabout 3.75 minutes at temperatures ranging from about 280° F. to about400° F. to obtain a moisture content of about 1.25% by weight to about1.5% by weight in the final product.

The malleable, baked product exiting from the band oven is flat withessentially no surface blisters or bubbles. It may be transferred on aconveyor belt to a post-bake curving or wave production device as shownin FIGS. 9 and 10 to obtain a curved cookie chip with visually apparentchocolate chips extending through the product as shown in FIGS. 1-8. Thediameter of the forming roller may be about 2⅝ inches. The air knife,manufactured by ExAir, and the airflow guide may be set at an angle ofabout 53° to about 55°. The upstream belt angle may be set at about 40°,and the downstream belt angle may be set at about 60°. The air knifepressure may be set at about 1.5 psig.

The transfer time from the band oven to the post-bake curving or waveproduction device for the malleable, baked pieces may be about 14seconds. The malleable baked pieces entering the nip or gap between thecurved portion of the belt and the forming roller may have a temperatureof about 180° F. The air knife may cool the hot, malleable chips byabout 20° F. to a temperature of about 160° F. to set the curvature ofthe chips to substantially the same curvature as the forming roller. Thewave chips may be transferred by the conveyor downstream to a coolingtunnel and cooled to room temperature and then packaged. The cookie wavechips may have a thickness of about 2 mm.

Example 3

The ingredients and their relative amounts, which may be used to producea cohesive, machinable dough for producing a sweet, wheat-based snackchip having a curved or wave configuration, a crispy, chip-like textureand a chocolate cookie flavor are:

Example 1 Dough Ingredients Parts by weight GROUP 1 Granulated sucrose54 Whey 2 Pregelatinized waxy maize starch N (X-Pand′R) 5 Vanillin 0.04Salt 1.5 Cocoa 15 GROUP 2 Water (140° F.) 20.5 Lecithin 0.75 SoybeanSpray Oil 18.5 High fructose corn syrup 15 GROUP 3 Medium wheat flour100 Oat fiber 2 Sodium bicarbonate 1.75 Ammonium bicarbonate (dissolved)0.25 TOTAL 236.29

In Example 3 the dough may be produced by first dry blending the Group 1ingredients for about three minutes at low speed. The Group 2ingredients may then be added to the Group 1 ingredients with mixing forabout three minutes at low speed, with two pounds of water from Group 1being held to dissolve the ammonium bicarbonate in Group 3. The Group 3ingredients may then be added and mixing may be continued for tenminutes at high speed obtain a substantially homogeneous dough. Thedough may be processed as in Examples 1 and 2 to obtain chocolateflavored wave chips except the bake time may be about four minutes.

1-46. (canceled)
 47. A wave cookie chip comprising: a. wheat flour, b. apregelatinized waxy maize starch in an amount of from about 2% by weightto about 8% by weight, based upon the weight of the wheat flour, c. atleast one sugar, the total sugar solids content of the wave cookie chipbeing from about 30% by weight to about 80% by weight, based upon theweight of the flour, wherein said flour, said pregelatinized waxy maizestarch, and said at least one sugar are least substantially uniformlydistributed throughout the cookie chip, said cookie chip having aconcave surface and an opposing convex surface, each of said surfacesbeing at least substantially free of surface bubbles or blisters, saidchip having a crispy texture and a thickness of less than about 0.10inches.
 48. A wave cookie chip as claimed in claim 47 further comprisingflavor chips which are visually apparent from said concave and convexsurfaces.
 49. A wave cookie chip as claimed in claim 47 furthercomprising at least one stripe of icing on said convex surface or saidconcave surface.
 50. A wave cookie chip as claimed in claim 47 which isstackable one on top of another into a substantially uniform verticalstack.